Starching-machine.



P. N. BRAUN.

STARCHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION 111.120 SEPT. 22. 1914.

1,245,999. I Patented N0v.6, 191 7.

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W/TN H 1 flZI/ENTOR W v I IZABY r W v 1 A TTORNEY.

P. N. BRAUN.-

STARCHING MACHINE.

"APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 22. l9l4.

Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

ISHEETS-SHEET Z.

Q Pa n "3 En 3 "M I m IV V5 NTDR P. N. BRAUN.

STARCHING MACHINE.

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STARCHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.- Z2. 1914. v

Patented Nov. 6, 1917 v 7SHEETS-SHEET 4. 4,

IV/TNE SE5 P. N. BRAUN.

STARCHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 22, 1914.

1,245,999, PatentedNoV. 6, 1911;.

r 7 SHEETS-SHEET 5- P. N. BRAUN.

PSTARCHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FI'LED SEPT. 22. 1914.

Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

P. N. BRAUN.

STARCHING MACHINE.

. APPLlCATION FILED SEPT!22, 1914. 1,245,999. Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

ZSHEETS-SHEET 7.

F I Q En STATE PA ENT WERE it PHILI? N. BRAUN, or SYRACUSE; "YORK! swarm -Te m immme'emcim v COMPANY, or sY mcUsnN-Ew YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK;

STARCHING-MKCEINE Be. it known that 1,. BHILIP' N1 BRAUNP a citizen of the :United States, and resident of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga.

new and useful'lmprovements in Starching lilachines, of which the followingtaken in 'connectionwith the accompanyingdrawings, is av full, clear, and exact: description;

merits in starchingi machines; involving the use of endless aprons or beltsf having portions thereof traveling in close contact through a starch containing vat and between reciprocatory pressingv elements for feeding. the articles to; be starchedx there through. and" for forcibly projecting the starch through. such anticleswhile intransit through the vat. p a, v Heretofore considerable difiiculty'has been experienced in applying the proper amount of starch and distributing? it; uniformly to all portions of such articles as collars,. cuffs and thelike, which are made up of tWo or more pliesof fabric owing: to the fact that excessive quantities; of the starch are caused to collect at theseams so that Whenthe articles: are ironed and turned or folded the seams are rendered so stifi-as to. break the; threads ot the fabric; ,1

The primary obj ect, thereform of? this in;- vention is not only to mechanically: apply" the starch in: uniform quantities to vall poretions of the articles;v but also to prevent. ex: cessive accumulations of starch on; the. dei-; livery' end ofthe. aprons-antlthereby avoid;

extra deposit of such accumulations upon,

the; arti cles as they emerge; fromthernachirie;

Another object. isrtop'rovide one or more; of the. apron supporting; drums or rollers with means; for straightening; out any} rine kles or folds which may tend to fOrrng-in. the fabric apron so that: the starchv ma passuniformly through: the; active portions thereof and therefore through the. articles carried thereby. Y 7

A a further object is: to synehmonize: the movements of the pressingelements, aprons so that the latter' Wilhbeat. restfdure A stillfurther object is. be

springs and sliding conn'e'jctions,hetweemthe 5'5: reciprocating: pres-s ng; el fineilfie on abrasion, in. the: State of'NeW York, have invented This invention relates to; certain improve-f ing the. pressing operation andwill: movep fi ati of L tt s Pa e Patent diNomc; (19 1 "71.

Applicationzfiled'septm'uer 22,1914; Serial No. 8623956. r

actuating neans abovethe' lei e'l ofthez starch 1n. the Vet so: as toavoid as, far as possible: d-iscoloringv of; the starch; resulting from-rust Qthen objects-fandi uses relating; to-the specific parts of the machine will be brought I out, in the following des cription;.is

v In: the drawin'gs a L Figure l'is a top plan of a starchingima chine embodying the various1feat-uresiofithis invention, a; portion of; the fabric: apron: at; thexlelivery endof the machine being broken. e vaysto show the spiral. ribs on the; adj acent drumior fioller; Fig. 2: is a side elevation of the :same c i11e.-- g i I F-ig. 3 is. a: longitudinal; vertical sectional. View on. line AA-, l lgalrv i Fig; 4 is. an enlarged transversesectional. View taken on line B-B, Fig. 1. v

F ig.; 5 isan enlarged detailsectionalview of: a portion of the machine taken on linez GG,'Fig'=;2. .7 g a A v .5

I Figsu 6, 7, 8 and-,9 are enlarged (16 ml; sectional views taken; respectively on; lines?- DD;iE E, F+F-, and; GG,1Eig. l. I ,Fig; 1 0 'isenlarged vertical sectional View, takenon: line H-H, F-igt2 Fig; '11; isflan end view of he detached; frame carrying thjeqbed-plateift ld plunger-1, together. i'thithe guide rollers: fortheap on a a Fig. 12 is a rletail },e1ztical sectional view-, taken on: line 1-1, Fig; 11. T i

Eig 13 is adetail'wiew of-the-squeezing; 90; roller. showing its supportingneans-ilr sec tion, takenonslineJJ,- Fi-g:,2Z i

Fig; l gis; an enlarged verticaj-li sectiona-lp View through; one; side ofthe: bed-plate? and plungeritakee n; in l-.l :i-F gt i a a Fig/A- is at; transverse-vertical; sectional view simila g -toi Fig yi showing;- modified means for supporting; the; pressing elements in; which; the'qlower element is rigidlyheld:

against.- v'ertical moyement While; the upper 1,00 l

pressing. element is yielding-l3? supported. upon its operating rod-s, the sliding'iband" ingid spen h I, Fig; 1:6f-isi a topr-planofi thesupper, prese element and adjacent portion-s voi LQS iu riwrtf ez am u -v ZL'Z isa transwerse sectional: View at: the pressure plate efi -theguppeie pressimgg lement ta ni t ie l i' st i vilil s a detail iew 'thte i lii W) one side of the frame and adjacent portion of the lower pressing element showing the clamping means therefor taken on line M-M Fig. 16.

The machine comprises a main supporting frame composed of upright side plates -lspaced some distance apart and connected by ahorizontally disposed bedsplate or cross bar -2 which is secured by bolts 3 to the inner faces of the side plates some distance below the upper ed es there of for supporting a starch-containing vat 4, the said plates being provided with forwardly and rearwardly projecting arms 5 and 5 for receiving and supporting end drums or rollers --6- and 7 carrying the extreme front and rear portions of a longitudinally movable endless apron '8.

The main supporting frame is adapted to rest upon the floor and supports the various parts at suitable height to permit easy access thereto by the operator standing on the floor, the rear end of the frame be-' ingprovided with an extension -9 constituting a delivery table upon which the articles are deposited by the conveyer belt 8 after being passed through the starchcontaining vat in the manner herein described.

The cross bar or bed-plate -2- is centrally mounted in the frame a suflicient distance below the upper edges of the side plates to support the vat -4twholly below the top of the frame and within convenient reaching distance of the operator.

The vat l-- which rests upon the bedplate 2- is also centrally located within the frame and extends from side to sidebetween the side plates and is provider with a starch inlet -10 and a drainage'outlet -1l-, both of which passages are located at or near the bottom which is substantially flat and horizontal and of sufficient capacity to receive and retain the desired quantity of starch and to permit the operation of vertically reciprocating pressing ele-' ments 12' and 13 together with suitable guide rollers 1 land 15 for holding the central portion of lower and upper runs of the conveyer belt S within the vat and in a horizontal plane some distance below the opposite ends of the belt. the front and rear endsof the vat be ing flared upwardly to better facilitate the passage of the belt through the starch.

The roller 6- at the front end of the machine is adjustable to tension'the belt, its opposite ends being journaled in boxes -l6 which are adjusted in lengthwise ways 17 in arms -5 by screws -1 8 having hand wheels -19 to tension either or both sides of the belt.

The roller is preferably journaled instationary bearings -20- on the-arms 5 so that the axes of both rollers 6- and 7 lie in substantiallythe same horizontal plane.

The upper portions of the belt 8 between the rollers 6 and -7 and adjacent ends of the vat are disposed in a horizontal plane for feeding the articles to the starch-containing vat and delivering the starched articles from said vat on to the delivery table -9- where they may be removed by hand and conveyed in any well known manner through a drying chamber (not shown) preparatory to remoistening and ironing. To this end, the portions f the upper run of the belt directly over the ends of the vat are supported by additional drums or rollers 21 and -22 of substantially the same size and disposed in the same horizontal plane as the rollers 6- and 7 parallel therewith.

The lower run of the belt S-- directly under the rollers -'-2l and 22 and, also directly over the opposite ends of the vat passes over relatively smaller rollers 23- and-2-l which are located just below but in close proximityto the adjacent rollers 2l--'and 22- parallel tnerewith and partially within the corre-' sponding ends of the vat.

The lower set of rollers 1 lare mounted on the same frame as the rollers -15- some distance below the rollers -23 and 2 l. and just above the bottom of the vat, for guiding the belt around the lower side of said rollers and beneath the pressing 100 element 19 and spaced a suiiicient distance from the pressing element 12 and from the bottom of the vat to avoid friction with said parts.

The upper set of rollers -15' are ar- L05 ranged in the santie horizontal plane within the opposite ends of the vat and some distance below that of the rollers 2l and 22- with their'lower faces in a plane just above the upper surface of the lower press- 110 ing element l2-, for guiding the depressed portion of the upper run of the belt '-8 in av horizontal plane parallel with and'between the meeting faces of the pressingelenients and in close proximity to the upper surface of the lower element 12-. r r

The distance between the upper set of rollers -l5-- and, therefore the length of the depressed portion of the upper run of the belt within. the vat is su iicient to receive the full length of one or more collars or cuffs or similar articles to be starched, the belt being of sutlicient width to receive a plurality of such articles side by side, thereby rendering the machinecapable of starching large quantities of articles within a comparatively short periodof time.

Cotiperating with the depressed inter mediate portion of the" upper run of the belt lea masses -'8 is ase mte endless belt orapro n' 26 of the same width as the belt 8' and having its lower run passed around the under side ofthe rollers -15-- and its front a and rear portions passed over the adjacent rollers -21 and 22 in'contact with purpose is passed around a roller +27- v and thence upwardly and rearwardly over additlonal rollers 28 and -29, which latter are disposed in the sarnehorizontal plane a considerable distance above the upper pressing element 'l3'- to permit free access to the interior of the vat and facilitate the removal of theupper pressing elements when necessary.

These rollers 28 and +29 are-journaled in suitable bearings on the upper ends of the upright brackets 30- and -31' which are secured to the upper-edges of the side plates 1 of the main supporting frame, the roller 28- being located some distanceaboveand slightly to the rear of the roller -21 while the roller 2-9 is located a corresponding distance above the roller 22- so that its re'ar face is in substantially a straight line drawn between the rear face of the roller -1'5 and'front face of the roller 22 to cause the'rear portion of the belt -26 to contact with the belt 8--between the rollers 15 and This arrangement of the belts facilitates the automatic stripping of the starched collars from the upper belt ontothe delivery and of thelower belt by which they are conveyed to the deliverytable'-9-.' r

The conveyor belt or-apr'on -S- is positively driven in the direction indicated by arrow -X, Figs. 2 and 3, by the rollers 22-' and -21+ whichare provided with spiral gears 34.'ineshing with similar spiral gears 35" on a counter shaft 36'"th'e" latter being ournaled in suitable bearlngs 'S7 at right angles to the axes of said rollers, said spiral gears being all of the same size to drive the roll-' vided' with spiral ribs of apposite itch mergingat the center far straighten? ingout any wrinkles or folds which may tend to are in thelowetbelt aaa kepalg tioii.

said belt substantially flat throughout its" length. r I y The counter shaft 36- and, therefore, the conveyer belts or aprons S' and -26 are actuated intermittingly and in synchronisin with the movement of the pressing elements by suitable mechanism hereinafterdescribed and so that the aprons Will be at rest during the pressingope'ration' and will be moved longitudinally only when the pressing elements are separated, thereby avoiding any possibility of breaking or over straining the aprons. v

vThe lower pressing element 'l 2 preferablyconsists of a rectangular frame disposed in a horizontal position within the vat beneath the'depressed contacting portions of; the belt and provided with a'perforated top ,or press plate and is provided near its four corners with upwardly projecting supporting ar1ns i1V- having out-turned aper-' tured lugs.l2ivhih overhang the upper edges of opposite sides of the inain supporting frame for receiving vertical guide bolts or studs I'3 on said frame and rest upon coil springs 4t-, which: surround the: bolts between the lugs and frame thereby allowing the lower pressing eleihent to yield under the pressure of the press-hea d 13 and assuringa uniform pressure upon the articles and equal dis tribution of the starch therethrou'gh. j

The upper ends of the bolts are provided with adjustable nuts l5 for'liiniting the upward movement of the lower pressingele. ment' and also bringing it into parallelism with the press-head.

The upper pressing element orpresshead '13 preferablyconsist's of a rectangular bOX-llkG frame of substantially the saine area as the lower pressing elenient and is provided at its opposite sideswith upwardly extendingarms lf7 having outwardly 'proje'ct ing apertured lugs or ears 4l8' which are adjustably 's'ecuredto the'upper ends of pair of upright'guide rods '49 by means of nuts50. 1 V

These guide-rods are loc'ated at the outer sides of the main supporting frame-and are niovable vertically through guides "51 the lower ends of said bolts being pivotally connected to the upper ends of p'itinen 52 havingftheir lower ends journaled on eccentrics "53 on opposite ends of a cross shaft as sho'wninor'e clearly in Fig. 4, for reciprocating the upper pressing elernent vertically toward and from the I lower pressing element an'dinto and out of contact with the interposed'portion ofthe aprons '8 and -'F2I6 therebyiorcing the starch through the aprons and articles between thein by alternate pressure and Suci Tli'e'siictioi'i 'e'fthe stareh'throa h the fabr-ie eye-he a'pwa'ra mavens-leer the ress-- head -1Sis materially aided by the use of a sliding band -55 which is yieldingly mounted with an easy sliding fit upon the lower end of the said press head so as to normally project some distance below its lower face and is provided at suitable intervals with upright studs or posts 56 passing loosely through apertured flanges on the press head and having their lower and upper ends surrounded by coil springs -57 which yieldingly hold the band at the limit of its downward movement and at the same time permit said band to yield upwardly during the pressing operation.

It is now clear that when the press head is forced downwardly, the lower edge ofthe band -55- first contacts with the underlying portion. of the aprons after which the lower face of the press head continues to move into engagement with said apron for forcing the starch through the underlying portions of the aprons and interposed articles, such as collars and cuffs, thus producing more or less compression of the lower springs.--57 while on the initial return movement of the press head, the lower edge of the band remains by its own weight, aided by said lower springs, in contact with the underlying portion of the apron to increase the force of suction of the press head until said entire press head with the band thereon is freed from contact with the apron by continued upward movement, whereby the starch is drawn through the perforated top of the lower pressing element and superposed portions of the foraminous aprons andarticles which may be held between them.

The amount of movement of the press head is slightly greater than the normal distance between the pressing elements so that when the press head approaches the limit of its downward movement, the lower pressing element is caused to yield against the resilient pressure of the springs '4A, thereby depressing the interposed portions of the aprons and articles thereon to assure a more uniform pressure and even distribution of the starch throughout all portions of the articles which are usually spread out flatwise upon the aprons when inserting them into the machine.

It is now clear that the upper pressing element or press head is reciprocated posi-i T he cross shaft 5%is drivenvcontinu-v ously from a main driving shaft 60 whlch is Journaled in suitable bearings -61 on opposite sides of the main supporting frame parallel with the shaft 5 l' and transmits motion to said cross shaft through the medium of intermeshing gears -62 shown more clearly invl ig. 5, the main driving shaft being provided with suitable pulleys -63 adapted to be connected to any available source of power not shown.

As previously intimated, the countershaft 36- and aprons driven thereby are actuated intermittingly only when the pressing elements are separated so as to be at rest during the pressing operation to prevent any strain upon the aprons and for this purpose one end of the cross shaft 54 is provided with an eccentric stud or wrist pin 65 which is connected by a pitman 67 to a rock arm or yoke 69 the latter being loosely mounted on the shaft 36 to hold the upper end of the pitman in operative relation to said shaft.

A pawl 72- on the yoke 69;engages with the teeth of a ratchet wheel 73 which is rigidly secured to the shaft -36 so as to rotate said shaft in the di rection indicated by arrow, Fig. 4, at each upward movement of the pitman -67, the pawl being free to trail on the face of the teeth on the downward movement of said pitman.

The cranks or eccentrics 53- and 65 are so adjusted and timed as to move the apron endwise a predetermineddistance while the press head is being raised and to hold it against movement while the press head is in its ressing position so that the pressing and shifting operations alternate with each other. a

As the portions of the aprons between which the starched articles are held emerge from the starching vat they contain an ex cessive amount of starch and one of the important features of my invention is to provide simple means for removing this eX- cessive starch immediately upon the exit of the articles from the vat and before depositing the same upon the delivery table and for this purpose is provided a pliable squeezing roller T5- having a central core or shaft 76 extending transversely of the machine just in front of the roller -22-- and its opposite ends journaled in forwardly and rearwardly movable bearings 77 which are adjustable by means of screw bolts 7 8- to bring the periphery of said, roller into pressing coaction with the front face of the roller 22 or rather into pressing engagement with the portions of the aprons which are interposed between said rollers, said bearings 7T being yieldingly held in their adjusted positions by coil springs 80 interposed between adjusting-nuts 81 on the rear ends of the bolts -78 and the adjacent ends of guides'-82 on the arms 81- through which the bolts 'Z 8 are passed.

' porting frame roller '-75- when desired for cleansing or other purposes and are preferably formed upon the upper end of swinging arms 83'- which are pivoted at their lower ends at 84 to the sides--1- of-the main supas shown more clearly in Fig. 21.. I i

T he squeezing roller 75+ consists of a cylindrical body -85 ofsoft' but resilient pliable composition such as soft rubber mixed with a ciliary substance acting asa bond, the entire composition being covered by a soft rubber sle'eve-86 and together with the composition: filling is not only lars, cuffs or other articles which may be.

carried between the pressing rollers by the aprons so as to more effectively remove the excessive amounts of starch from all portions of said articles and thereby assure a'uniform distribution of the starch througliouthll portions thereof.

This roller also prevents the deposit of excess starch upon the horizontal delivery end of the belt and consequently upon the collars, cuffs and other articles which are carried thereby to the delivery table.

By loosening or removing the puts -81-- on the rear ends of the bolts 78, the supporting arms 83 may be rocked forwardly a sufficient distance to allow the roller -75 to be removed from its bearings and thoroughly cleansed whenever necessary.

Another important feature of the invention is that the press head together with all parts carried thereby may be easily and quickly removed by simply removing the nuts upon the upper ends of the bolts l9- and lifting the press head upwardly and laterally from under the upper horizontal portion of the apron 26, thus permitting access to the interior of the starch vat and lower pressing element whendesired for inspection or repairs.

It is also evidentthat the entire lower pressing element together with the rollers l'-l and l5 may be removed by sim-' ly removing the nuts -45- on the upper ends of the bolts l3 and then lifting said parts upwardly and laterally after the press head has been removed, it being understood, of course that if it is desired to withdraw the lower pressing element from the machine, it will be necessary to displace the aprons.

In operation, the articles to be starched are roller .2l whence they are conveyed rearvrigidly but removably clamped to the main placed by hand uponthe horizontalfeeding end-of the a-pron'-8 which carries said articles forwardly until caught between the frontportions of the aprons I adjacent-the wardly and downwardly into and through the starch in the vat and thenceupwardly between the rollers .22- and '75 where the excess starch is expelled and caused to flow backi into the vat afterwhichthe uniforml-ystarched articles are depositedupon and'conveyed" by: the deliveryend of the belt 8t0 the: delivery table 9- from. which they may be. removed by -hand' and conveyed by any well known formof. conveyer to a dryingjroom preparatory .to .re-moistening andastarching. w c if During the. intermission or .rest of the feeding aprons,-the.pressing elements are'reciprocated :OI" broughtinto 5 pressing coaction 8 5 for forcing the starch through!v the depressed portion ofthe apron andarticlesthereon alternately by pressure and suction, thereby producing an evendi'stribution of the starch through, alllportions of such articles as they pass-through the :vatJ,

-oTheistructure shown in Figs. 15 to 18 in.-

elusive differs from that previously described innthat the lower pressing element '1'2-+ -is frame While the upper press head -18 is yieldingly connected to its operating rods 4L9 by coil springs 25 which surround the upper ends of said rods between the apertured lugs 48 and adjustable nuts 32, the press head being provided with vent openings 33 therethrough to prevent the trapping of air and excessive suction at the meeting faces of the pressing elements. 7

Another difference is that the bottom of the vat 4 is providedwith a steam jacket 38 connected to a steam supply pipe -39 to keep the starch at a uniform temperature.

Otherwise the structure and operation of, this modification is substantially the same as previously described.

What I claim is:

1. In a starching machine, a starch-containing vat, lower and upper conveyer belts having contacting portions depressed into the vat and other portions at the receiving end of said vat disposed in forwardly diverging planes to facilitate the entry of articles to be starched between the belts and squeezing rollers engaging the portions of the belts in the delivery end of the vat, the portion of the upper belt above the adjacent faces of said rollers being disposed in approximately the same plane as that of the portion immediately below such faces to facilitate stripping of the starched articles therefrom.

2. In a starching machine, a main frame, 'a

vat supported thereby, a bed-plate supported by the frame independently of the vat, a presshead movable toward and from the upper surface of the bed-plate, means for reciprocating the press-head, conveyor belts having contacting portions traveling between the bed-plate and press-head, and means for actuating one of the belts.

3. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a tank of a bed-plate arranged in said tank, a plunger movable to ward and from the bed-plate, a movable band surrounding the plunger and resilientineans normally holding the band extending below the plunger.

4;. In a machineof the class described, the combination with a tank of a bed-plate arranged in said tank, a reciprocating plunger, a vertically slidable band surrounding the plunger, spring means normally holding the band extending below the plunger, and means for reciprocating the plunger toward and from said plate.

5. In a starching machine, a main frame, a vat supported thereby, a bed-plate carried by the frame and positioned Within the Vat, a resiliently supported press head movable neameee toward and from the upper surface of the bed-plate, conveyer belts having contacting portions traveling between the bed-plate and press head, means for intermittently actuating one of the belts and means for bringing said press head into pressing coaction With the bed plate only While the feeding means is atprest. 1

6. In a starching machine, a bed-plate, a

press head movable toward and from the upper surface of the bed-plate, one of said elements being resiliently supported, a main frame carrying the bed-plate, a vat carried 1 by the main frame and inclosing the bed Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissionerof Patents,

Washington, D. G.

plate, conveyer belts having contacting portions traveling between the bed-plate and 

